Study of French aged care home with COVID-19 outbreak shows more residents died from lack of assistance with food and drink than the virus

Bleak research out of France. A study of an aged care home in the Southern Ile-de-France region where more than 24 COVID-19 deaths were recorded over a five-day period has concluded the “confinement disease” – where resident are confined to their rooms without assistance for eating and drinking – is probably more harmful than the virus itself. Researchers found the deaths at the 140-resident home were mainly due to hypovolemic shock, a result of significant loss of blood and body fluids. Surprisingly, no acute respiratory distress syndrome was observed. The residents with COVID-19 had been confined to their rooms for several days, without assistance for eating and drinking because of a lack of PPE; staff shortages (due to a 40% absenteeism rate); and GP visits being replaced by telehealth. It was only when a taskforce – established in response after the fifth death – came in and began providing infusions to restore body fluid levels as well as oxygen therapy – as per WHO guidelines – that there was a “rapid improvement of this high mortality trend”. The study’s authors conclude that leaving residents without help to drink and eat led to more deaths than COVID-19itself – and this could have been prevented by providing basic care. Around 60% of France’s aged care homes have reported at least one case of COVID-19, and while the mortality rate for the virus is 10% across the country, this climbs to 30% among aged care residents.